Brian Tamaki has called for purging New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, and also raised the prospect of burning mosques and temples in a “tit for tat” ahead of Narendra Modi's visit in July.

In a Facebook post on June 18, the self-styled Christian cleric was critical of the government inviting the Indian prime minister.

The leader of the far-right religious group, called Destiny Church, called Modi a “monster” and said there were “two unspeakable reasons” for saying so.

“Here’s the first reason why, and I’m going to speak it out very loudly and clearly to you,” Tamaki said.

“Modi is a Christian killer. Right now in his country, he is killing Christians. He is currently purging India of all Christians and burning church buildings down.”

Tamaki then said New Zealand should "reciprocate in kind". 

“Let’s purge New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. And while we’re at it, if they’re burning churches down, why don’t we burn mosques and their temples down?" he said.

“Tit for tat.”

Churches and other religious organisations operate openly across India, where freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution. There is no nationwide ban on churches, or on those who practice any faith. 

In a judgment in March 2026, New Zealand's Immigration and Protection Tribunal rejected an asylum appeal from an Indian man who claimed he would be persecuted if he were to return because he had converted to Christianity.

Tamaki's latest comments mark a sharp escalation from his earlier anti-Modi rhetoric, shifting from opposition to India’s prime minister to language directed at whole religious communities in New Zealand.

At least 340,000 New Zealanders are of Indian-descent, according to official estimates. A majority of them are Hindus and Sikhs, while Muslims would also include people from a wide range of ethnic and national backgrounds.

Earlier this month, Tamaki had called on supporters to attend what he described as a “Massive Anti-Mass Immigration HAKA” at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on July 7. 

He urged people to take a “day off to save NZ” and positioned the protest as a response to immigration policy and demographic change.

In that June 4 Facebook post, Tamaki linked the planned demonstration directly to Modi’s visit.

“If 20,000 Indians can Stand And Take Auckland.. Then 30,000 Kiwis should show to Fight For your Country and Children’s Future,” Tamaki wrote at the time.

The Indian prime minister is expected to visit in the second week of July, though the exact date has yet to be announced. Preparations for Modi’s maiden visit have since been gathering pace.

Organisers launched kiaoramodi.co.nz on May 29 as a dedicated website intended to serve as the central information portal for Modi’s community reception in Auckland.

The gathering is being built up as the centrepiece of Modi’s July visit.

Sources familiar with organising committee discussions told Awaaz a security team from India visited Auckland last week for a recce. The only venue they visited was Spark Arena, effectively ruling out the other option of Eden Park.  

Eden Park was being considered because organisers estimated it could accommodate about 35,000 attendees, while Spark Arena offered a fully enclosed venue but with a smaller capacity of about 12,000.

At least 120 community organisations had informally indicated they intended to register for tickets once the process opened. Through those organisations alone, organisers estimates as many as 80,000 people have already expressed an interest in attending.

Tamaki’s latest comments are likely to deepen concern among Kiwi-Indian communities already watching the public debate around Modi’s expected visit, immigration and New Zealand’s relationship with India.